A bad trip isn't always bad

New research suggests a bad trip isn’t always bad. About 84 percent of drug users who have experienced a “bad trip” from hallucinogenic mushrooms say they benefited from the psychologically difficult situation.
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms — also known as magic mushrooms or just shrooms — are a powerful psychedelic drug that can profoundly alter the way a person experiences the world. But unlike some drugs, psilocybin has an ambiguous effect on a person’s emotional state. It can produce heavenly bliss or create a personal hell — the latter being known as a “bad trip.”
The study, led by Roland Griffiths of John Hopkins University, surveyed 1,993 adults regarding their single worst “bad trip” after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms. More than 9 out of 10 of the participants had used psilocybin more than two times in their life. The average dose that produced the bad trip was about 4 grams.
A majority of the participants — 62 percent — said their bad trip was among the top 10 most psychologically difficult situations of their lives. Eleven percent said it was their number one most difficult experience.
But 34 percent of participants said the bad trip was among the top five most personally meaningful experiences of their life and 31 percent said it was the among the top five most spiritually significant. And 76 percent said the bad trip had resulted in an improved sense of personal well-being or life satisfaction. Forty-six percent said they would be willing to experience the bad trip all over again.